Fairy sculptures at Trentham Estate

The only drawback to a morning spent with monkeys is working out how to persuade your toddler to leave. Fortunately I had a magical idea up my sleeve – visiting the Trentham Gardens fairies.

ad – review visit*

In fact, there are plenty of ideas of things to do with kids at Trentham Estate, next door to the Trentham Monkey Forest. Although unfortunately the unseasonal cold and drizzle meant the barefoot walking path was out, along with long walks around the lake.

But playing poohsticks on the bridge across the stream and looking for the fairy sculptures at Trentham Estate dotted around the gardens? Absolutely.

I grew up about 15 minutes from Trentham Gardens, back before the regeneration process started again in 1996. Now an award-winning attraction, it’s completely transformed – and each time I visit, there seems to be something new to discover.

To see our most recent visit discovering the newest Trentham Gardens fairies on a much sunnier day, click here

Of course the history goes back long before that. Once the site of a Saxon monastery it was mentioned as a Royal Manor in the Domesday Book.

Notable occupants of the old hall included the second Duchess of Sutherland, Queen Victoria’s mistress of the robes, while it played a wartime role as home to the Bank of England’s central clearing house and a billet for the Free French troops.

It’s not even the first time the gardens have been thronged with visitors. In 1910 the Duke of Sutherland opened his Trentham home to the public – shortly before trying to give the estate to the city in 1911. The city politely declined. Looking at it today, I’d have to say they missed a trick.

A century on, it might cost a bit more than the original sixpence entrance charge but it’s a lovely way to spend a day.

70 flower beds, with 80,000 perennials and 400 varieties, make up the formal Italian Gardens with their views out across the lake to the woodland housing the neighbouring monkeys – if your eyesight’s good enough, you can spot a statue of the Duke of Sutherland on the hilltop.

Toddlers, meanwhile, can entertain themselves for a surprisingly long time counting the decorative pillars in the parapet wall.

In the eastern part, there’s a floral labyrinth, while to the western side there’s an adventure playground, hedge maze and a barefoot walk for spring and summer

As you wander, keep an eye out for the Trentham Gardens fairies dotted around the lakeside and gardens on the fairy trail. Made from galvanised and stainless steel wire, the 15 sculptures look incredibly realistic, with dandelion clocks so delicate it’s as if they’ve been captured in the breeze.

Less formally, there’s a path around the lake – two miles if you follow it the whole way, although some sections are not buggy friendly, so it’s worth sticking to the closer edge leading to the small cafe.

A small train runs alongside for part of the year, and there are boat trips on selected dates between January and October, as well as rowing boats for hire between June and September.

With the gardens designed to ensure there’s something to enjoy year-round, from bluebell woods to roses in high summer and the ‘rivers of grass’, it’s the kind of place you can visit again and again – especially with better weather to explore properly.

But while Minnie seemed happy to splash through puddles and scamper along the grassy banks and gravel paths, without the toasty body heat of a toddler (or furry coat of a monkey), I was slowly turning blue.

Fortunately, between the cafes in the estate itself and among the string of shops just outside, hot chocolate is never far away.

Need to know: Fairy sculptures at Trentham

Adult tickets cost £13, children aged three to 15 cost £9.50, while under-threes go free. You can also get 15% off same day entry to the monkey forest with your ticket (and vice versa) – check out our review plus return visits to follow the Trentham fairy trail again and again.

Opening times vary throughout the year, depending both on date and whether you have a day or annual ticket. Check the site for details. Parking is free.

Disclosure: Our tickets to visit and track down the fairy sculptures at Trentham were courtesy of the Trentham Estate. All opinions and nostalgic childhood memories are my own.

Images (which do show the rubbish weather and don’t show the gardens at their best): copyright MummyTravels

LIKED THIS? SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL NEWSLETTER